In six publications on the website www.sunatimes.com Dahabshiil was associated with criminal acts, terrorism and violence towards the press.

By judgement on 16 December 2014 in summary proceedings the Dutch court of appeal of 's-Hertogenbosch judged that there was not enough evidence for the above mentioned allegations published on the website, and therefore publishing those allegations was defamatory.

The court of appeal ordered me to publish this announcement on www.sunatimes.com and several other websites.

Dahir Abdulle Alasow
Breda

Somalia: Puntland Will Civil war or Free election

Published On: Thursday, December, 06 2012 - 05:46:46 This post has been viewed 1462 times

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Fed up with the continued lawlessness rampant in the Southern and Central Somalia and no longer able to live without a government, a Consultation Conference in 1998 brought together a wide cross-section of the communities from the regions of Northeastern Somalia

Garowe (Sunatimes) In a year
where locals have been targeted, harassed and, in the case of the late MP
Abdisalan Sheikh Mohamud Shaybe, killed by terror organizations for wanting to
create a platform where a democratic electoral process could be extended to the
people of Puntland, the road to democracy in the region has been long and
complicated. Dissident Nation had the privilege of interviewing the Chairman of
the Election Commission of Puntland, Dr. Mohamed Hassan Barre. Chairman Barre
spoke candidly about many of the issues that the administration of the
semi-autonomous region was facing ahead of its upcoming election, as well as
the milestones reached thus far. As the lessons from Somaliland show, the
implementation of a multi-party system can have some unintended consequences
such as the resurgence of clan politics but it can also serve to empower
marginalized citizens who otherwise felt their concerns and needs were left
unheard.

Constitution

Fed up with the continued
lawlessness rampant in the Southern and Central Somalia and no longer able to live without a government, a Consultation Conference in 1998
brought together a wide cross-section of the communities from the regions of
Northeastern Somalia (Puntland) to discuss a viable way forward. It was through
this spirit of cooperation that Puntland came to be officially declared as the
first semi-autonomous and federal state of the nation. At the conference, a
transitional charter was endorsed by the attendants which outlined a three-year
timetable for drawing up a constitution and holding elections.

In 2001, a draft constitution was
approved by the legislature with a referendum on the constitution set to take place in 2004, but due to
disagreements and a power struggle in the regions administration, this
important juncture did not take place. It wasn’t until about four years later,
in 2008, when the revised constitution was finally presented by the
Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to the Puntland cabinet. In June 2009 (First draft hosted here),
the parliament approved the new constitution, however there were calls from
certain segments of Puntland’s society [particularly the civil society], for a
final review of the constitution. Finally, on April 18, 2012 delegates gathered
in Garowe and an overwhelming majority voted to ratify the constitution (Exclusive copy of new
constitution hosted here) bringing an end to the fourteen-year long
constitution-making process.

“The newly ratified Puntland
Constitution, and the process that was used to achieve this demonstrates that
inclusiveness, and taking the time to get it right, are key. This new
constitution will provide a solid foundation from which Puntland can continue to develop and grow.” -Interpeace

The historic document extends universal healthcare to all its citizens,
protects and safeguards the rights of women, persons with disabilities,
minorities, orphans and the elderly, advocates for equality before the law,
forbids censorship as long as the beliefs and opinions expressed are consistent
with the laws and ethics of the land, protects the environment and outlaws the
export of charcoal. A law banning the practice of Female Genital Mutilation was
passed by the Puntland parliament in 2011.

The Puntland constitution also
bans political associations of a clan nature and demands that political parties
have branches in all regions of Puntland, a political agenda and internal rules
that regulate its activities, further ensuring that political parties will not
fall victim to clan politics.

Opposition

September marked the beginning of
registrations of political associations in the region. Since then many of the
issues regarding the revised constitution and the upcoming elections have been
the focus of criticism and, oftentimes, negative media attention. Although the
majority of Puntlanders support the democratization process and want to see
their state move away from the clan based system, the most controversial issue
has to do with the incumbent supposedly extending his tenure in office. Most of
the reproaches come from the delay in the transition to a multi-party system,
something the administration had envisioned to complete by 2011.

There is also another kind of an
opposition brewing, most of it concentrated in the city of Qardho. The sources
of the instability in the city have been pinpointed as Abdullahi Said Samatar
and Muse Ali Jama. The two men have been accused of instigating rioting which
resulted in the damage and vandalism of private property and spreading
anti-government propaganda. Despite efforts by the Transitional Puntland
Electoral Commission (TPEC) to clarify the process, there have been many
misconceptions based on rumors being spread by media outlets with their own
political agenda, thus making it difficult to accurately inform the electorate.
Sources tell Dissident Nation that many of the people who participated in the
riots were youths who had not even read the newly ratified constitution nor did
they have any knowledge that the five-year term was presented to the parliament
in 2008, prior to the election of President Farole.

Upon further investigation
Dissident Nation found that in June 2008, Abdullahi Said Samatar, who served as
the Puntland Security Minister, was presented with a copy of the constitution
(which sets the Presidents, Vice-Presidents, members of the House of
Representatives term in office as five-years) by the Constitutional Review
Committee (CRC) for review. The cabinet approved the constitution and delivered
it to parliament with the intention of approval, thus extending the mandate of
the government Samatar was a cabinet member of. However, members of parliament
did not want to extend their mandate at the risk of setting off a political
crisis so they instead voted to defer the proposal to the next parliamentary
session. Samatar, who now accuses the current administration of
unconstitutionally extending their mandate, was also a member of the Puntland
cabinet when the constitution was passed in 2009 but never expressed any concerns
about the constitution prior to its approval.

In fact, it wasn’t until 2010,
when Samatar was relieved of his duties by President Farole for spending
exorbitant amount of time outside of the state and letting his ministry fall
into disarray as a result, that an opposition against the administration
formed. Since then Samatar has been on a mission to overthrow the
administration and has made it no secret that he wants to be the next President
of Puntland, but has so far refused to open a political party or state his
political platform or vision for Puntland.

Multi-party
Elections

Despite the smear campaign
against the constitution and new system of governance, the process of
democratizing Puntland treks ahead. The Transitional Puntland Electoral
Commission (TPEC), along with the Puntland Research Development Center (PDRC)
and Interpeace have spent the past two months touring communities in the
Puntland region to raise awareness about the democratization process.

The Transitional Puntland
Electoral Commission (TPEC) is an autonomous institution which serves as the
highest authority in Puntland on electoral matters. The TPEC is responsible for
setting the election date and authorizing political parties. Dissident Nation
spoke to the Chairman of the TPEC, Dr. Mohamed Hassan Barre, about the trials
his commission has faced, the challenges they currently battle and the road
ahead.

“I was personally doing this
particular regional tour namely Karkaar including Qardho and Rako…The real
truth is that people welcome the process of democratization. There were some
isolated individuals (spoilers) who are against the democratization who I am
told were there shouting, but this was not noticed during the meeting with the
different communities. As you know Somalia is war-torn country and any new
process will face some challenges,” said Chairman Barre on the media reports of
the TPEC being met with stiff resistance in the Karkaar district of Puntland.

Barre went on to explain that his
commission has been meeting with prominent community leaders and frequently
updating them on the democratization process in the region. The TPEC traveled
to many rural and nomadic communities in the region where his commission was
tasked with describing the democratization process to communities that have
never been exposed to democratic norms and principles before. Throughout his
travels, Barre stated he and his commission felt that, despite the odd protest,
the wider population demonstrated full confidence in the work of the TPEC and
the democratization process because of their transparency, openness and
unquestionable neutrality. Many who were initially hesitant about the
multi-party system became supportive of it after understanding the
participatory opportunities it presented to them.

“The overall Puntland population
accepted the shift from a clan-based administration to a multi-party system,”
explained Barre. “This was demonstrated during the Constitutional Ratification
Convention held in Garowe last April where 98% of delegates approved the constitution.”

To dispel any notions that his
commission has been secretive in their mission or lacks accountability,
Chairman Barre provided Dissident Nation with a copy of ‘The Road Map on Puntland Democratization
& Elections Process’.

Local council elections will take
place in May 2013, Parliamentary elections in late October, Speaker and Deputy
Speaker in December, and Presidential elections in early January 2014. So far,
three political associations have been declared: Horseed (headed by the
incumbent, President Farole), Ugub ( United People’s Party), and the Puntland
Democratic Party.

Dr. Barre felt optimistic about
Puntland’s experiment with the multi-party system. “Puntland’s democracy is
just emerging and will have a lot of challenges ahead, but if it succeeds it is
believed to be a role model for future emerging federal regional states in
Somalia.”

As Puntland treks along the path
to representative democracy it is set to face many roadblocks and opposition
from individuals and groups who benefit from the current clan-based system, but
the TPEC seems committed to seeing the political evolution of Puntland through.
Perhaps the future of Puntland is not as dim as some would like us to believe.